Duke Energy Initiates Recreation Surveys at Lake Public Access Areas
March 12, 2012
SENECA, SC – Boaters and outdoor enthusiasts using public recreation access areas on Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee may be asked to participate in surveys designed to gather feedback on recreation amenities on the lakes.
This recreation study is one of 14 under way as part of Duke Energy’s Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Relicensing effort. Duke Energy has engaged the services of a consultant to survey public recreation access area visitors during the peak recreation season of March 15 to Sept. 30, 2012. In addition to surveying access area visitors, surveys also will be conducted later this year with shoreline property owners, governmental agencies, recreation organizations and a random sample of county residents.
“This recreation study is an excellent opportunity for relicensing stakeholders to hear directly from the community about how they experience today’s recreation amenities and what enhancements they’d like to see in the future,” said Scott Jolley, project manager.
The survey effort is part of the overall recreation study designed to characterize current public recreation activity and satisfaction levels, while also estimating demand for future facilities. It will estimate current boating density and “carrying capacity” — a measure of how many boats can utilize the lake safely at once — while assessing boating safety in constricted areas on Lake Keowee. Finally, it will describe the economic value of recreation resulting from the Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project.
The contractors facilitating surveys at the public recreation access areas will work in morning, afternoon and evening shifts. They will be wearing identification and will rotate among the access areas to gather input. They will conduct exit surveys as visitors are leaving access areas and may approach visitors to discuss their recreation experience that day.
Duke Energy Carolinas owns nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides approximately 19,500 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 2.4 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.
About Duke Energy
Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., its regulated utility operations serve 4 million electric customers in the Carolinas, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and a half-million natural gas customers in Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Power and International Energy business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States. A Fortune 500 company, Duke Energy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information is available at: www.duke-energy.com.
